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Tag: chibok girls

  • 110 abducted Chibok girls still unaccounted for – Community says

    110 abducted Chibok girls still unaccounted for – Community says

    The Kibaku (Chibok) Area Development Association (KADA), on behalf of the entire Chibok Community, on Saturday in Abuja indicated that 110 of the 276 girls abducted in April, 2014, are still unaccounted for.

    This indication was given in Abuja on Saturday by the President of KADA, Dauda lliya, at a press conference.

    Iliya said of the 276 girls abducted, 57 escaped from their abductors.

    He added that parents and the Community have continued to be subjected to persistent and sustained attacks, killings, abductions, maiming, arson and other myriads of criminality without adequate government protection.

    “Chibok has been for all intents and purposes abandoned to its own devices by all layers of government in Nigeria.

    “Right from late 2012 up to this time, the statistics of the state of damage and destruction of lives and property inflicted on the Community presents a worrisome and pathetic picture,” he lamented.

    Iliya said over 72 persons have been killed, and over 407 persons abducted, houses, business premises, and churches burnt, while over 20 vehicles were stolen and many grains barns burnt or destroyed.

    “From late 2018 to date, the frequency of attacks and level of destruction have escalated and are simply alarming.

    “Just this year (2022) alone, Kautikari (second largest town in Chibok area) was attacked on January 14 with five girls abducted, three persons killed, many houses and churches burnt.

    “In sustaining their carnage, Piyemi, another big town in Chibok area, was attacked on January 20 with 19 persons mostly girls abducted and one person, the Vigilante leader, beheaded,” he stated.

    Iliya called on the Federal Government for support, saying in a press release, themed “Echoes from Chibok: rescue us from total annihilation by the Boko Haram’, that “Government should seek for support to synergize with our security forces in confronting this menace so as to end the sustained carnage on our people.

    “By so doing, we expect our remaining 110 daughters abducted in 2014 and numerous others subsequently abducted at different times to be brought back to us.

    “We appeal to the Federal Government to immediately set up Internally Displaced Persons Camps in Chibok town and provide Chibok with skills acquisition centre so as to avoid imminent hunger/starvation in Chibok.

    “We request the Federal government to order deployment of more military personnel and better arms to Chibok to halt the continuous attacks on the community.

    “We also appeal to our action Governor to do more in organizing and helping our people in securing our state in general and Chibok in particular,” Iliya stated.

    He called on the media to help them highlight their plights, saying “we count on you to continue to be voice for the voiceless in this struggle for our lives and acting as our megaphone in spreading these cries where our voices are unable to reach.

    “Finally, we hereby express our heartfelt condolences to the Nigerian Army theater command, Maiduguri, for the loss of our gallant soldiers including the very brave Brig.-Gen. B. K. Zirkushu, who lost their lives in Askira protecting our people against the invading terrorists on November 13, 2021,” he said.

    Iliya said that the entire Chibok Community, is using this medium to once again call on President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue Chibok Community, an ethnic nationality, from total annihilation by the Boko Haram Terrorists.

  • Seven years after abduction, FG says Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu, others not forgotten

    Seven years after abduction, FG says Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu, others not forgotten

    The Federal Government on Wednesday said Leah Sharibu, Chibok girls, and others in captivity of Boko Haram insurgents are not forgotten.

    It assured plans were ongoing to rescue them from their captors and prevent further kidnap of students from schools across the country.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that seven years ago, 276 girls were abducted from Chibok Secondary School in Chibok, a community in Borno State.

    Some of the girls were said to have escaped and others were rescued by the military but about a hundred of them are still believed to be with their abductors.

    The kidnap attracted local and international outcries, which led to various protests with demand to rescue the girls and reunite them with their families.

    However, some of the girls are still being held by their captors.

    The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, on the 7th anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok girls, said relevant ministries and agencies were working to ensure the rescue of those still with their captors.

    She said: “As the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, it grieves me to have to mark this 7th anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok girls.

    “Our government came into power with a public mandate to control the insurgency in the north east that led to the Chibok girls’ abduction and to fight the corruption that hampered the rescue effort, which corruption created the deprivations that have made the north east a breeding area for terrorists.

    “We have achieved a lot but significant work remains for all levels of government. Half of the Chibok girls have been rescued and reunited with their families and have resumed their education.

    “We will continue working to bring back those left behind. Local, State and Federal government readiness to respond to attacks on schools is greatly improved.

    “We are working to prevent such attacks from occurring in the first place”.

    She continued: “I cannot speak openly about the security strategies and measures but I can assure you that your government holds the safety and security of its citizens as our sacred duty.

    “We are fighting a regional tide of criminality and violent extremism in partnership with others.

    “Let me assure the parents of the Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu and other abductees, that this government has not forgotten you.

    “We have heard your demands and the responsible ministries and agencies will respond on behalf of the government.”

  • Take responsibility for Chibok Girls’ continued ordeal, CAFA tells Ezekwesili

    Take responsibility for Chibok Girls’ continued ordeal, CAFA tells Ezekwesili

    The Coalition Against Fake Activists(CAFA) has told Nigerians to hold one of the conveners of the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group, Oby Ezekwesili, responsible for the continued abduction of the Chibok Girls.

    On April 14 2014, scores of female students were kidnapped from a Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists.

    Six years down the line, many remain in captivity and Ezekwesili and her group have used the opportunity to hug the limelight.

    In a statement by Director of Communication and Publicity, Comrade Ibrahim Kabiru Dallah, on Thursday, the activists said the young girls would have been released long ago if not for Ezekwesili’s propaganda and theatrics.

    According to Dallah, the erstwhile Minister of Education, accused of squandering funds meant for her presidential campaign, is trying to resume exploiting the situation.

    It added that the chartered accountant aims to “mislead Nigerians to ignore the fact that the rescue and release of every person in the hands of fleeing elements of Boko Haram terrorists is a must for the military and the Federal Government.”

    CAFA, therefore, warned Ezekwesili that Nigerians will not tolerate the inglorious activities of crisis merchants and fake activists at this period that efforts are on to protect the country from COVID-19.

    The group further advised the co-convener and her associates to forthwith suspend their paid activism to allow the world defeat COVID-19 and the military clean out Boko Haram.

  • After Six Years in Captivity, Government is intentionally negligent, parents of abducted Chibok girls lament

    Parents of the remaining 112 abducted school girls of government secondary school Chibok Borno state said the Nigerian government have neglected them.

    Yesterday, Monday April 14 makes it exactly six years since the Boko Haram insurgents whisked away the girls numbering 276. 57 of the girls however escaped while 107 of the girl were released in deal between the Nigerian government and the insurgents.

    Speaking with the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting corporation (BBC Hausa), Spokesperson for the Kibaku Area Development Association (Chibok Community), Dr Allen Manasseh, said that some of the parents of the remaining abducted girls have become sick due to restlessness and have subsequently died due to frustration. “It’s even better to be told that your daughter have been killed, that will make you cry and forget and won’t be thinking again, but in this case, no one is telling us anything…this is very frustrating…” Manasseh said. “….All the promises the government made to release the girls have not been fulfilled this creates alot of worries to the parents” he added.

    Dr Manasseh whose two cousin sisters are among the remaining abducted girls told the BBC how he lost his aunt i.e mother of the girls because of frustration. “….Although some few of my sister made the list of the 82 released girls, I still have two cousin sisters; my Aunty’s children still in Captivity, they are twins, one is called Rebecca, the other is called Sarah, they where all abducted 6 years ago and their mum (my aunt) died as a result of frustration. She was the first to die among parents of the abducted girls” Manasseh said.

    Dr Manasseh emotionally explained to the BBC how he was so closed to the twin girls before their abduction 6 years ago recalling how he used to buy them provisions whenever the are resuming to school. He said the Nigerian government has intentionally neglected his family and other parents of the abducted Chibok school girls. “…Since the abduction, no one has spoken to the parents of the abducted girls… atleast the government should once in a while speak to the parent….They don’t necessarily need to make promises, their consolation means alot to the parents….” Manasseh added.

    Asked to react on the recent claim by government that it is working hard to bring back the girls, Manasseh said that the chibok community totally disagree with the government saying the government is lying. “…. Why are they just saying this now, it’s been six years since the girls have been abducted and the government only talk deceptively during events, this is bad….if they can be talking to the parents time to time atleast it will lessen the pains” Manasseh said.

    The abduction of the 276 girls have become a global issue that led to the emergence of he “Bring Back Our Girls(BBOG)” movement in Nigeria.

  • Chibok abduction: BBOG marks 2,000 days, demands girls’ release

    The #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) movement has marked the 2000th day of the Chibok girls’ abduction by terrorist group Boko Haram with a call on the Federal Government to step up efforts to free the remaining hostages.

    BBOG members converged at the Falomo Roundabout, Ikoyi, Lagos in a sit out in honour of the girls and others, including Leah Sharibu, who is being held for her faith.

    They pledged to not give up until all the abductees are returned home safely to their families.

    The girls – 276 of them – were kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, on the night of April 14, 2014, making yesterday 2000 days since they were separated from their families.
    112 of the girls are yet to be freed, while others, including Leah Sharibu from Dapchi in Yobe State, are also being held captive.

    One-time Lagos State Commissioner for Finance Mr Wale Edun empathised with the girls’ families for the hurt they have borne for 2000 days.

    He noted that the Chibok girls and Leah Sharibu “are Nigeria’s daughters” and that the nation’s attention and action concerning them should not be less.

    “2000 days is so many years. We are here because this is our duty as citizens. This is a difficult time to demand things from government, but we are not going away until all our #ChibokGirls are back.

    “I commend us all for not being tired or discouraged,” Edun said.

    Other members of the group at the event, including a former president of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Ayo Obe, pledged the movement’s commitment to the cause.

    In a live tweet during the sit out, Obe said: “People, fellow citizens, are here to mark #2000Days since our #ChibokGirls were taken. #BringBackOurGirls continues to stand in the gap.”

    The BBOG movement, in a statement signed by Florence Ozor, Gapani Yanga, and Nifemi Onifade, questioned the Federal Government’s efforts in the fight against Boko Haram and kidnappings.

    It urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government to live up to their responsibility of protecting life and property.

    The statement reads in part: “Today, Saturday, October 5th 2019 marks 2,000 days since 276 schoolgirls were abducted from Government Girls’ Secondary School Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria by terrorists on the night of April 14, 2014. 57 girls escaped within days of the abduction while 219 remained in captivity.

    “Five years on, an additional 107 girls have returned: 4 of them as a result of Nigerian military interventions, 21 released in October 2016 after negotiations with their captors and a further 82 set freed by the terrorist group in May 2017.

    “2,000 days later, 112 of the #ChibokGirls abducted during an evil attack on humanity are yet to return.

    “Over the past 2,000 days, our #ChibokGirls have been denied their fundamental rights to freedom, for simply seeking an education on the path of growth and fulfillment they have been forced to suffer unimaginable horrors by enemies of humanity.

    “Their families and communities have also borne severe hardships within a war that continues to destroy lives and impede human progress. This nightmare continues to be the shame of a nation and an open sore of the world that threatens to become ingrained within the darkest parts of our collective history.”

    The group noted that other abductions have since occurred, including “the abduction of 6 students and 2 staff members of
    Engravers College in Kaduna on the 3rd of October 2019.

    “To this end, the students and staff of Engravers College join a number of citizens who remain missing – including Leah Sharibu, Alice Ngaddah, Grace Taku and her colleagues as well as many others. How can we have continued this way?

    “Through this all, we stand, keep the faith and hold out the light for our #ChibokGirls and all others in captivity. Today and until they return, we demand #BringBackOurGirls”

  • You’re a serial liar, Jonathan blasts ex-British PM, David Cameron over fresh claims on Chibok Girls

    You’re a serial liar, Jonathan blasts ex-British PM, David Cameron over fresh claims on Chibok Girls

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday swiftly responded to claims by a former British Prime Minister David Cameron that he (Jonathan’s government) sabotaged efforts by the British and other governments around the world to help free some kidnapped school girls in Chibok, Borno State in 2014.

    Recall that the abduction, which took place on April 14, 2014, had sparked a global outrage following which the international community offered to assist Nigeria.

    In ‘For The Record’, his memoirs, Cameron, who was in office at the time of the incident, said British troops traced the location of some of the victims and offered to help but Jonathan refused.

    Jonathan in a statement he personally signed on Saturday said his government wrote Britain and other governments around the world for help but were met with a brick wall.

    Read full response below:

    My Response To David Cameron’s Claims

    I read the comments by former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, in his new book, For the Record, in which he accused me and the Nigerian Government, which I headed, of corruption and rejecting the help of the British Government in rescuing the Chibok Girls, who were kidnapped on April 14, 2014.

    It is quite sad that Mr. Cameron would say this because nothing of such ever occurred. As President of Nigeria, I not only wrote letters to then Prime Minister David Cameron, I also wrote to the then US President, Barrack Obama, and the then French President, François Hollande, as well as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appealing to them for help in rescuing the Chibok Girls.

    How could I write to appeal for help and then reject the very thing I appealed for?

    Also, history contradicts Mr. Cameron. On March 8, 2012, when the same Boko Haram linked terrorists abducted a British expatriate named Chris McManus, along with an Italian hostage Franco Lamolinara, in Sokoto, I, as Nigerian President, personally authorised a rescue effort by members of the British military Special Boat Service supported by officers and men of the Nigerian Army, to free the abducted men.

    So, having set a precedent like that, why would I reject British help in rescuing the Chibok Girls, if it was offered?

    I also authorised the secret deployment of troops from the United Kingdom, the United States and Israel as a result of the Chibok incident, so how Mr. Cameron could say this with a straight face beats me.

    Moreover, on March 8, 2017, the British Government of former Prime Minister, Theresa May, in a widely circulated press statement, debunked this allegation and said there was no truth in it after Mr. Cameron had made similar statements to the Observer of the UK.

    In his book, Mr. Cameron failed to mention that I wrote him requesting his help on Chibok. Why did he suppress that information? I remind him that copies of that letter exist at the State Houses in Nigeria and London. He never called me on the phone to offer any help. On the contrary, I am the one that reached out to him.

    He accused me of appointing Generals based on political considerations. How could that be when I fired my service chiefs twice in five years, to show that I would not tolerate anything less than meaningful progress in the war on terror.

    I was completely blind to ethnic or political considerations in my appointments. In civil and military matters, I appointed people that I had never even met prior to appointing them, based on their professional pedigree. Though I was from the South, most of my service chiefs came from the North.

    I do, however, know that Mr. Cameron has long nursed deep grudges against me for reasons that have been published in various media.

    On July 24, 2013, while celebrating the passage of the United Kingdom’s Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, 2013, Mr. Cameron said “I want to export gay marriage around the world”.

    At that occasion, he boasted that he would send the team that successfully drafted and promoted the Bill, to nations, like Nigeria, saying inter alia:

    “I’ve told the Bill team I’m now going to reassign them because, of course, all over the world people would have been watching this piece of legislation”.

    As President of Nigeria at that time, I came under almost unbearable pressure from the Cameron administration to pass legislation supporting LGBTQ Same Sex marriage in Nigeria. My conscience could not stomach that, because as President of Nigeria, I swore on the Bible to advance Nigeria’s interests, and not the interest of the United Kingdom or any foreign power.

    As such, on Monday, January 13, 2014, I signed the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill into law after the Bill had been passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority of Nigeria’s parliament, in line with the wishes of the Nigerian people. This happened shortly after a study of 39 nations around the world by the U.S. Pew Research Center came up with a finding which indicated that 98 percent of Nigerians were opposed to the idea of Gay Marriage.

    Immediately after I took this patriotic action, my government came under almost unbearable pressure from Mr. Cameron, who reached me through envoys, and made subtle and not so subtle threats against me and my government.

    In fact, meetings were held at the Obama White House and at the Portcullis House in Parliament UK, with the then Nigerian opposition to disparage me, after I had signed the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill into law.

    On the issue of corruption, it suffices to say that Mr. Cameron is not as competent as Transparency International, which is globally acknowledged as the adjudicator of who is corrupt and who is not.

    During my administration, in 2014, Nigeria made her best ever improvement on the annual Transparency International Corruption Perception Index, moving from 144 the previous year, to 136, an 8 point improvement. As a nation, we have not made such improvements on the CPI before or after 2014.

    In line with these facts, I would urge the public to take Mr. Cameron’s accusations with a grain of salt. I will not be the first person to accuse him of lying on account of this book, and with the reactions in the Uk so far, I definitely will not be the last.

    Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Chairman of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation and President of Nigeria 2010-2015.

  • How Jonathan stopped us from rescuing kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 – Ex-British PM David Cameron

    How Jonathan stopped us from rescuing kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 – Ex-British PM David Cameron

    David Cameron, former British prime minister, has alleged that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan did not give enough support to Britain during the abduction of 274 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno state.

    The abduction, which took place on April 14, 2014, had sparked a global outrage following which the international community offered to assist Nigeria.

    In ‘For The Record’, his memoirs, Cameron, who was in office at the time of the incident, said British troops traced the location of some of the victims and offered to help but Jonathan refused.

    “Iraq wasn’t the only place we would need our military to counter this extremist menace. Boko Haram in Nigeria was linked to al-Qaeda, and believed Western education and lifestyles were a sin (the meaning behind its name). It too wanted to institute a caliphate, and like ISIS it would use whatever barbaric means it thought necessary,”Cameron wrote.

    “In early 2014 a group of its fighters centered the government secondary school in the village of Chibok, seizing 276 teenage girls. They were taken to camps deep in the forest. The Christians among them were forced to convert to Islam. Many were sold as slaves, entering the same endless violent nightmare the Yazidi women suffered.

    “As ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ campaign spread across the world, we embedded a team of military and intelligence experts in Nigeria, and sent spy planes and Tornadoes with thermal imaging to search for the missing girls. And, amazingly, from the skies above a forest three times the size of Wales, we managed to locate some of them.

    “But Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, seemed to be asleep at the wheel. When he eventually made a statement, it was to accuse the campaigners of politicising the tragedy. And absolutely crucially, when we offered to help rescue the girls we had located, he refused.”

    Cameron also said the Nigerian army was unable to participate in operations the US and UK forces organised for the rescue of Chibok schoolgirls because of “politically appointed generals”.

    The ex-British prime minister wrote on how the Archbishop of Canterbury was contacted to assist during the intervention in Nigeria.

    “We had to play the long game focusing on a much bigger training effort for the Nigerian military and intelligence forces and trying to promote more energetic leaders from the younger generation. The Archbishop of Canterbury, as an expert on Nigeria, could be particularly useful on this and I invited him to join our NSC discussion,” he wrote.

    “Some of the girls have managed to escape over the following four years, and others have been released, but over a hundred are still missing. Once again. the combination of lslamist extremism and bad governance proved fatal.

    “How did I feel about all this at the end of 2014? The answer is, depressed. ISIS now occupied an area larger than Britain. A similar brand of terrorism was being wrought by Boko Harem in west Africa), another ISIS affiliate in north Africa, and by al-Shabab (‘the youth) in east Africa, while related groups were springing up in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Caucasus. There seemed to be no stopping an evil ideology that seduced minds from the badlands of Syt’tato bedrooms in Birmingham. When I spoke about the challenge publicly I tried to remain measured and resolute. But privately did asked myself, would we ever be able to defeat this thing?

    A total of 112 Chibok schoolgirls have remained unaccounted for. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari secured the release of more than 100 while 57 managed to escape.

  • Presidency reacts to ex-CNN broadcaster’s book on Chibok girls

    The Presidency has welcomed with reservations a new book titled “Beneath The Tamarind Tree”, written about the kidnapping of 270 Chibok school girls, by Isha Sesay, the ex-CNN broadcaster and now a Child Rights activist.
    A statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu in Abuja on Monday, however, noted that the book was hampered by misrepresentations.
    According to him, the book should serve the purpose of spotlighting the crimes against humanity by Boko Haram terrorists, etching it permanently on the public mind.
    He added that the book should rightfully stir up interest and rally international support for the young girls on the continent who must stay in school and avoid early pregnancy and marriage, in order to actualize their God-given potential.
    Shehu noted that ”in her introduction of the book, Isha claims that she wants to “humanize” the girls, instead of them being seen as “mere headlines”.
    ”She acknowledged the release from Boko Haram captivity of more than 50 percent of the girls under the Buhari administration but says, very rightfully, that “we must not forget the 112 who are still missing”. On this, we share a common position.
    ”In stitching together her compelling portrait of this unfortunate yet paradoxical incident, Isha, this terrific journalist, risks a negative judgment of history on a book that is a farrago of misrepresentation.”
    The presidential aide, however, observed that it was wrong of the author to say of the Buhari administration that “they don’t know who to negotiate with” because Boko Haram had split into factions.
    According to him, this is a misrepresentation of the position of the government on split in the leadership of the terrorist group into two contending factions.
    He said it was clear that the split had the effect of making negotiation and reaching an agreement a more difficult task.
    ”Otherwise this country and our international partners are still engaged through third parties with the terrorists.
    ”While it is true that the government has no information on where the captives are held, otherwise it would have seized the location and recovered the girls using all means at its disposal.”
    Shehu also dismissed as incorrect that the Federal Government had given up on the Chibok girls, saying there was nothing on the ground to give that impression.
    He revealed that already the Ministry of Women and Social Development has a fully staffed government unit dealing with the Chibok abductions and its fallout.
    ”This book asserts that the government and people of Nigeria no longer cared about the girls because “they are poor…they don’t have famous names; people just don’t care.”
    ”No. Nigerians care, and that is why the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement was able to generate “the groundswell of public opinion“ as acknowledged by the author.
    ”Yes, it is true that “the only reason“ the sitting government at that time ‘acknowledged fully what had happened’ was due to the public outcry but it is again unfair to lump criticism on the Nigerian Government without differentiating which of the two administrations that served Nigeria from 2014 to date.
    ”The Buhari administration came in 2015 with a promise to recover the stolen girls and a milestone has indeed been achieved by bringing back and caring for more than 50 percent of them, even though the job cannot be said to be complete.”
    Shehu stated that government’s explanations had become imperative at this time in view of the doubts that may possibly arise following the release of the book.
    He, therefore, reiterated the government’s determination to ”secure the release, by peace or by force, the remaining 110 Chibok girls, Ms Leah Sharibu and all other citizens held captive by terrorists.”

  • Army still searching for Chibok girls – Buratai

    Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, on Monday said the search for the remaining abducted Chibok girls was still on.

    He however said activities of Boko Haram have been confined to Lake Chad region and fringes of Sambisa forest.

    Buratai spoke while delivering the maiden lecture of the Centre for Contemporary Security Affairs at the Igbinedion University, Okada headquarters of Ovia North East local government area.

    He stated that complex security challenges like the Boko Haram activities required political and security solutions that ensure that democracies rebound stronger after a crisis.

    Buratai said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has fulfilled the pledge to support the by donating the sum of $100 million.

    The Army Chief said the current political leadership has demonstrated strong political will, purposeful direction and resourcing that galvanised the nation against the common enemy.

    He informed the gathering that adequate resources were provided to re-kit, procure more arms and ammunition, vehicles and other logistics required to prosecute the campaign against insurgency.

    According to him: “Military leadership invariably draws inspiration from the political leadership and this allows it develop military strategic objectives that are to be achieved

    “One of the silent but radical changes in the operations was changing the orientation and mind-set of troops from a defensive to an offensive posture. We also created the Theatre Command to coordinate the activities of the divisions involved in the operations.

    “Socio-economic activities and free movement of people and goods have resumed in many areas.

    “Significant improvements can be attributed to the systematic campaign led by the NA in conjunction with other Services and elements of national power

    “Success recorded so far is an indication that for Nigeria’s democracy to be consolidated, the military must not only play its part but must also fulfill the constitutional roles assigned to them.”

    He assured the Army under his leadership would partner with the institution to build officers’ intellectual capacity.

    Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, said the centre when operational would carry out research that interrogates emerging security challenges of local and global concern.

    Prof. Ezemonye noted the strategy was to create a Faculty that provides knowledge based interventions for effective enforcement response, being a rich blend of academic researchers in security affairs and practitioners from the military and allied agencies.

  • Buhari expresses hope of Chibok girls return five years after abduction

    President Muhammadu Buhari says his promise to ensure the release of Leah Sharibu and the remaining Chibok girls in captivity of Boko Haram remains valid and will be fulfilled.

    The President renewed the pledge in a message by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, to mark the fifth anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok girls.

    About 210 school girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State were kidnapped on April 14, 2014, with 107 of them later released following successful negotiations between the Buhari administration and the abductors.

    Buhari had promised the parents of the kidnapped girls when he met them at the beginning of his first term as president, that he would ensure their daughters returned home.

    The President acknowledged that it was this promise that made the people of Chibok vote for him overwhelmingly in the February presidential election.

    He said that though his government had so far succeeded in securing the release of 107 of the girls, ”it will not rest until the remaining are reunited with their families”.

    The President assured the parents of the girls that his administration is still on the matter.

    ”Diverse efforts are being intensified to secure the release of the Chibok Girls, along with all hostages in Boko Haram captivity, including Leah Sharibu, who was kidnapped from her school – Science Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe State, on Feb. 19, 2018.

    ”On Leah Sharibu’s abduction, the interlocutors have reported encouraging progress so far.

    ”The report reaching us says her return to her family has unfortunately been hindered by the fear of the militants.

    ”They worry that heavy military presence in areas where they previously moved about freely could affect their safety after they return her to the government.

    ”At the same time, the military cannot jeopardise the security of the entire north-eastern region by halting their operations to accommodate Boko Haram’s fears,” he added.

    According to him, Leah Sharibu will be reunited with her family as soon as any conclusions are reached on a number of options being considered for her safe transportation.

    “The success of the Nigerian military in subduing Boko Haram is evidenced by the large numbers of militants who have surrendered recently, especially in neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.

    “A similar mass surrender of militants is expected to happen soon in Nigeria.

    “While Nigerian military operations are ongoing, the government is also engaging with the militants but the talks have been affected by the factionalisation of Boko Haram – with one group adopting a hard line posture and intensifying attacks on Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad, and another group engaging with the government for peaceful resolution,” he said.

    Buhari used the opportunity of the commemoration of the Chibok tragedy to commend the girls, now women, saying they had triumphed over it all.

    He also saluted the 106 girls sponsored by the Nigerian government to continue their studies at the American University of Nigeria, Yola.

    He encouraged them to stay focused on becoming women, who could inspire other girls in Nigeria and around the world to triumph over “the daily battles they face in a world that often unfair to the girl-child”.

    The President also extended his best wishes to the Chibok girls in other schools in Nigeria and around the world.

    He congratulated Yaga Bitrus, who has excelled beyond expectations in her college in Maine, USA, and who is soon to receive a special ‘Against All Odds Award’ from her school.